Ever After High Outside the Story: The Ones from Oz
by JT Cat
Summary: As Cedar is painting in her studio, she meets a couple of people she'd never expected to ever see, from the land even farther away than Wonderland, Oz! Will they stay for the rest of the school year? Or will they eventually have to return to Oz?
1. The Scarecrow

Cedar POV

I hadn't expected to meet him like this. To be completely honest, I hadn't really expected to meet _him_ at all. I was completely unaware that he even existed. But, on a late Thursday afternoon, there he was, in the front of an art studio that I sometimes went to.

He was tall and handsome. He wore a flannel button-up shirt and tattered jeans that had patches in various areas. On top of his dirty blonde hair rested a knit beanie. But the oddest thing about him was that had no face. He had only a stitched nose and stitched ears and faded details of what once was, I assumed, a face.

I looked at him with a dumbfound expression, unable to hide my feelings. Then, after a while of silence, I realized that he was trying to mumble something, but since he had no mouth, was unable to do so. So, I came back to reality and said, "Oh, you can't talk! Let me get you a piece of paper and a pen, okay?"

The boy nodded and started feeling around for something. "Here's a chair," I said quickly, pushing a stool behind him, "Just plop down."

I hadn't expected him to take it so literally. It was as if he was a doll and went completely lifeless when he went down. He bounced on the chair and fell off.

"Uh, you need any help?" I asked, putting my hands out for him to grab onto.

The boy sullenly nodded and grabbed my arms. Once he got up, he started feeling around for the chair, found it, and placed himself on the seat. I didn't even tell him he was only on the edge.

I grabbed a page of my notebook, tore it, and found a stubby pencil. I returned to the boy who had nothing else to do but sit. I put the paper and pencil in his hands and said, "Here You're just gonna have to do the best you can, okay?"

He took the pencil and started to write. Once he was finished, he raised his head as if to look at me and stuck his arm out with the paper in it. I took it and read, with a little difficulty, "I heard that you were a good artist and that you could paint me a face."

I looked at the boy, "I can do that. Do you have any references you'd like me to paint?" I then realized what I said and smacked myself in the head, "That was dumb of me to say that. Would you just like me to do an interpretation of a typical face?"

The boy nodded. "Okay, you're gonna have to sit very still for me to work," I said as I grabbed a stool and pulled over a nearby table with paint on it. "Do you want blue eyes?"

The boy shook his head.

"Brown eyes?" Another no.

"Green eyes?" The boy nodded eagerly.

"And I assume that you don't really care about the mouth?"

Another nod. I grinned, "Okay, let's start!"

I dabbed my paintbrush and started to paint. As I was essentially making his face, I couldn't help but notice that his skin was like that of a potato sack. Like someone had made him of a rough fabric.

I finished his eyes first. When I was finished, I was surprised that they actually came to life and began looking around the room at once, taking everything. But it was most unexpected when his eyes settled on my face and conveyed something that I couldn't put my finger on.

"And now, your mouth," I announced. And in a few minutes, since mouths aren't that hard, it was finished.

"Aah," he said, relieved that he had his mouth back, "Thanks for doing this. Name your price."

I looked at his with surprise. "Well, I don't really have a price . . . But would you mind answering a few questions?"

"Certainly!" he said with excitement. His voice was peculiar. Despite his tall appearance, his voice was high-pitched and boyish. He also had a child-like enthusiasm that showed in the way he talked.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"My name is Gage Scarecrow, and I'm from the Land of Oz!" he smiled.

"The Land of Oz? I've heard of that!" I exclaimed, "But what are you doing here, in Ever After?"

"Well, I couldn't find any artists that were available in Oz that would help out a scarecrow. So I asked the Witch of the North if there were any artists that weren't in Oz. She told me that there was one exceptionally talented artist in Ever After. Of course, at the time, I didn't know what Ever After was, so I asked my friend, whose name is Jimmy but we call him Jittery, what it was. But by that time, my eyes were so faded that I couldn't read. So we had to come here at once and along the way, Jittery told me all about it, and boy, does it sound neat!"

I nearly laughed, "You're really talkative, Gage! By the way, my name's Cedar Wood, daughter of Pinocchio."

"Pleased to meet'cha, Cedar!" Gage stuck out his hand, "I'm the son of the Scarecrow! Well, technically I was made by a scarecrow maker in the Land of the Munchkins, but the Scarecrow raised me!"

"That's really interesting," I said, "My father was the one who made me. But usually when my paint is chipping, I do it myself."

"Cool! I wish I could do that," Gage rested his elbows on his knees and placed his chin on his palms, "I wish I could stay here a little while longer. It just seems so . . . so _different_ than Oz, and I just barely got to see it."

"Then why don't you stay and explore?" I asked.

"Well, because I'm already missing a little bit of school by coming here, and it being a Thursday and all, I have to get back there as soon as possible," Gage explained.

"What school do you go to?" I asked, not helping to hide my curiosity.

"Shakespeare Academy," he said, "I'm not very fond of it, though. It's not as diverse and some of the teachers can be very confusing to understand! With all the 'thou art late!' and 'hath not ye completeth thine homework?' It's so confusing in a boring way!"

"Yikes," I patted his shoulder, "Where I go to, Ever After High, a few teachers are from Wonderland, and sometimes they speak Riddlish. I have a few friends who speak it too. It's like a language that you're supposed to know what it says only vaguely. There's no real way to translate it."

"Really? You're not pulling my tail?" he looked up and asked.

"I've been cursed with a truth spell," I said, somehow sounding amused and not annoyed, "I can't really lie."

"Oh, well, I guess that sucks and doesn't suck at the same time," Gage shrugged.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, you wouldn't be able to lie in general, so if you needed an excuse, you aren't exactly the one who could do so," Gage said, "But, since you can't lie, you'd never get in trouble for lying, and then your friends can trust you more."

"That's a good way to think about it," I smiled.

"Yeah. Pretty good for a guy with no brains, huh?" laughed Gage.

"No brains?" I asked.

"Part of my story. I can't get brains until I visit the Wizard of Oz," the scarecrow explained.

"Makes sense."

"Well," Gage stood up, "I'd best be going now. I don't think I should keep Jittery out there for much longer. Who knows what he'll do when he's scared!"

"Wait!" I held out a hand, "Maybe I could show you around the Village of Bookend while you're here? At least for a little while."

Gage considered this for a moment, and then said, "Sure! Why not?"

"Awesome!" I smiled wide and saw Gage smiling back nearly twice as big.

"Onward!" he shouted, taking my hand and nearly dragging me out the door. Little did I know what I was in for.

 **Hi, those of you who have read my fanfics before, and those of you who haven't! I'm really excited for this new story. I know it's not 100% original, but I read the Wizard of Oz just for kicks, and after I finished it, I wanted to incorporate the characters into a story! Please review what you think of Gage, and thanks for reading!**


	2. The Cowardly Lion

Cedar POV

After Gage led me out of the studio, we were met with a large, bulky guy. Despite this, he had the sweetest, most baby-like eyes that would make you go, "Aww!" It was like I was looking at a big, furry kitten!

"Hi, Jittery! This is Cedar, the artist who painted me a face!" Gage cheerfully greeted him.

"Hello, Cedar," Jittery waved a fuzzy paw, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Jittery Leon."

"It's nice to meet you too! I'm Cedar Wood," I smiled, "Gage told me a little bit about you."

"He did?" Jittery cast a glance at Gage, but then returned my smile, "I didn't expect the greatest artist in Ever After to be so pretty! I'm sure if we knew you back in Oz, then I'd bet that Gage would talk about you forever and ever!"

Oh, never before had I wished that I could blush! "I-I-I . . ." I struggled to find words, ". . . Thank you."

"Let's not get too flabbergasted, now," Gage laughed, "I'm very excited to start exploring, and I don't think I can wait any longer!"

"I have to admit, I'm very curious myself to see more of Ever After," Jittery agreed.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" I asked, "I have to introduce you to all of my friends, too!"

"That's awesome!" Gage exclaimed, "Why, you'll have to tell us all about them!"

"Oh, there's too many of them! Where to begin . . .?" I thought for a moment, "Well, I guess there's . . . oh hey, Raven!"

"Hi, Cedar," Raven Queen waved in my direction, then she momentarily studied my two companions, "Can you introduce me to your new friends?"

"Oh, yes! This is Gage Scarecrow, and this is Jittery Leon," I said, pointing to each boy. They waved as their names were spoken.

"How do you do?" Gage smiled, then he bowed.

"I'm fine, thank you," Raven laughed, "Well, I gotta go find Nevermore again. Who knows where that dragon is now." Then she walked off, occasionally calling out "Nevermore!"

"Dragons? What are those?" Jittery asked.

"Well, they're like big reptiles, but with huge wings!" I described, "And they're magical. Sometimes, they can breathe fire, and other times, it's ice."

"Whoa," Gage laughed and shook his head, "Ever After is _weird_."

"Heh, I guess it can be," I chuckled, "Look! There's Apple! Hi, Apple!"

"Hello, Cedar," Apple flashed a bright grin at us, "Who are your friends? Are they transfers?"

I shook my head, "No, they're just visiting. Over here's Gage Scarecrow, and this is Jittery Leon."

"Nice to meet you," Apple curtsied.

This time, Gage and Jittery bowed back. "The pleasure's all mine," Gage said.

Apple giggled, "Oh, I wish I could stay with you and show you around the Village of Bookend, but I'm running a little late. You see, I have to meet Maddie at her dad's shop for a meeting, and I don't like leaving people waiting."

"I see," I nodded, "See ya!"

"Good bye," the blonde princess waved to us, "I hope to meet you again!"

"She seems nice," Gage commented.

"She really is," I agreed, "Even though she doesn't really have a choice."

"What do you mean?" asked Jittery.

I considered my words carefully, "Well, her mom's Snow White, so that means she's the 'fairest of them all', so she has to live up to the title, otherwise her mom will get mad at her for not living up to her destiny."

Gage and Jittery just stared at me, "People get mad at you for not following your destiny here? Strange."

"That's just how things work here," I responded.

Suddenly, my friend Madeline Hatter rushed out of her father's teashop, "Cedar! Hi!"

I couldn't help but giggle when I saw her. She just carried craziness with her wherever she went! "Hi, Maddie! What's new?"

"Are these your friends?" Maddie inquired. She waved vigorously, "Hello!"

"I'm Gage, and this is Jittery," Gage stepped up, pointing to himself and Jittery, "We're just visiting, but everything here seems really cool!"

"That's because it is!" Maddie chuckled, "We have all kinds of stuff to do here! Oh, where to start? Well, there's my dad's Tea Shoppe! You should stop by sometime! We have all kinds of mad things lurking in corners they probably shouldn't be!"

"Sounds awesome!" Gage exclaimed, "Oh, Cedar, there's so much to do, yet too little time! What should we do first?"

"Um . . ." All of a sudden, somebody poked me, "Ow!"

"Ow? What kind of place is that?" Gage asked.

"No, it's not a place," I replied, "Somebody just prodded me, quite harshly."

"You have invisible people here?" Jittery twisted his tail around his finger.

"Oh, yeah! You should hear the narrators! Come to think of it, I haven't heard them lately," Maddie cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "HEY, NARRATORS! WHY AREN'T YOU TALKING!"

I shushed Maddie, "Quiet! They're probably on break right now."

Maddie just looked at me weirdly. I suddenly felt self-conscious, "Was it something I said?"

"We'll talk later. Right now, I have a meeting with Apple!" Maddie patted my shoulder, gave me a weird smile, and ran off. Jittery and Gage just stood in confused silence.

"She's always like that," I apologized.

"No, no, it's totally—!" Gage jolted, "Somebody poked me."

That's when we heard a shrill giggling. I looked up and saw, for a mere moment, a smile. A wide, sly smile.

"Kitty!" I shouted.

In an instant, Kitty Cheshire appeared, laying in a nearby tree. "Yes, Cedar?" Her eyes shifted from me, then to my companions, "Newbies?"

"No," I shook my head, "Visitors from Oz."

Kitty yawned, "Oz. Ozzz. _Oz_." She shrugged nonchalantly, "Meh. Sounds mundane." She glanced at Gage, then she locked eyes with Jittery.

To be honest, I started to feel bad for Jittery the moment they locked sight. Jittery began to quake a little, and I could see small beads of sweat forming on his palms, or rather, paws. Gage, for once, actually looked nervous. The straw boy reached out and patted Jittery on the back. He looked up and anxiously smiled, "So, you're Kitty?"

"The one and only," Kitty gleamed back, breaking her gaze with Jittery for only an instant. She giggled, feigning a princess laugh, "So what's your friend's name?"

"This is Jittery, and I'm Gage. As Cedar said, we're from Oz," Gage rubbed the back of his neck. I wondered what they were thinking. But, I already knew they wouldn't tell me. That was one of the downsides to being cursed with a truth spell. People don't tell me their secrets because they don't want me blurting it out in front of everyone. But, I guess that's fair. I wouldn't tell someone my secrets if they had no choice but to say it if they were asked about my secrets.

"Hmm," Kitty nodded, "Well, I hope to see you around soon." She winked at Jittery, then disappeared to who knows where.

Gage tapped Jittery on the shoulder, "You alright there, buddy?"

Jittery took a deep breath, "Yeah, I'm okay."

"That's really good!" Gage smiled, "Especially since you didn—!"

"Look out!" All of a sudden, Sparrow Hood jumped up, caught a bookball, and fell down in front of the two boys. Without asking, he used Jittery's arm to pull himself off the ground, "Thanks, man."

"No problem," Jittery said, his voice almost inaudible. Then, a couple more boys started to flock around the two from Oz.

"Sparrow, are you okay?" Hunter Huntsman asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he took out his guitar and played an ear-ringing riff, "This guy helped me oooouuuuuuttt!"

"Glad to hear that, good man," Daring Charming loudly thumped Sparrow on the back, "We can't have a man down at any time. We always need to be on our feet."

"Jittery . . ." Gage started tapping Jittery's shoulder like crazy, but there was something in the lion's eyes that made me uneasy. Then I realized what it was. Fear. And it only got worse when the boys started coming closer and closer to Jittery and Gage.

"What is he . . . ?" I started to ask, but it soon was answered. To my surprise, Jittery let out the loudest roar I had ever heard. It was even louder than Sparrow's guitar skills!

"ROOOAAAARRRRRRRR!" he growled.

"Aah!" The boys yelped, and they ran away in a heartbeat. And, if that wasn't enough, so did everyone else in the area, until only Jittery, Gage, and me were standing in an abandoned street.

"S-S-Sorry," Jittery stuttered. He looked really bad. His face was pale, and he was entirely drenched in sweat and shaking.

"It's okay, buddy," Gage patted him on the back gently. He turned to me, "Cedar, do you have anywhere we could get him something to drink, like warm milk?"

"Umm," I thought for a minute, "We probably have milk in the Castleteria. I'll lead you there."

"Thanks, Cedar," Gage and Jittery said at the same time. And then, we walked silently through the village towards the school.

 **Hello, again! So, it looks like we got to see a bit more of Jittery in this chapter. I heard good things about Gage's character, which is always awesome! Anyways, thanks for reading and please review!**


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